Possible League Wide Effects From Watkins Trade?

August 11, 2017 the Buffalo Bills made two trades that could have possible league wide effects. The first trade they made was with the Los Angeles Rams. The trade was, the Rams would give cornerback E.J. Gaines and a 2nd round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, in exchange the Bills would give wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a 2018 6th round pick. After that the Bills made a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to make up for the lost receiver. The Eagles traded wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 3rd round pick for Bills cornerback Ronald Darby. So who got the best deal out of those trades? I’ll tell you that and more in this report.
Let’s start by dissecting the trade for the Los Angles Rams. The Rams gained a 2018 6th round draft pick and a starting wide receiver. The addition of Watkins to the Rams offense now makes them a threat in the NFC West at least. Rams QB Jared Goff now has the options of Tavon Austin, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Sammy Watkins at receiver. And if those guys can’t get open, running back Todd Gurley is always a threat. The questions for the Rams, can Watkins stay healthy and will he re-sign with the Rams? Those questions are important considering his injury history and he’s in the last year of his contract.
Now for the Buffalo Bills trade. The Bills gained a starting wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a 2018 3rd round draft pick. The Bills were looking to change things up a bit for their team. They don’t gain much here, but they do get a fresh set of hands and they add to their draft picks. The Bills will either have to negotiate a contract extension or place a franchise tag on Matthews by the end of the season if they want to keep the starting wide receiver. Matthews like Watkins is in the last year of his contract. Will Matthews re-sign with the Bills, and will he help the Bills’ offense this year? We’ll find out when the season starts no doubt.
And finally, let’s go over the Philadelphia Eagles trade. The Eagles gained starting quality conerback Ronald Darby. To do so the Eagles gave up a wide receiver and a draft pick. That may sound bad but, the Eagles still have several veteran receivers to go to. The Eagles still have receivers Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, and Nelson Agholor for QB Carson Wentz to use this year, plus they added to their defense with Darby. The Eagle may not have gained much, but they didn’t loose much either.

In my opinion, the Los Angeles Rams got the best of the trades involved. They added a player who they tried to draft back in 2014 that now has over 2,000 yards receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Watkins now makes the Rams offense complete, plus he reunites with former Buffalo Bill receiver Robert Woods. That means the Rams added a player they scouted in college, that now has NFL experience, and existing chemistry with fellow receivers. That is very hard to gain in a single trade in the NFL. Plus they got a 6th round draft pick with that, for just a cornerback and a 2nd round draft pick. I think they got the best deal, but only time will tell.